Home Design Trends for 2015

As a Professional Home Stager it is important for me to keep up with current design trends. Why? It all has to do with marketing a home and getting top dollar. Design has changed quite a bit even in the last 5 years. If your home, furnishings or art are not “on trend” you may be lowering the desirability factor of your home, which brings in fewer offers and a lower sale price. We don’t need to do a remodel, but when we stage we do want to stay “on trend” as much as possible. This does not mean “trendy”. It means following the color, shapes and textures we will be seeing as general design principals in the coming years. Staging involves appealing to the greatest number of buyers, creating a positive emotional response to the home, and selling a lifestyle. According to the National Association of Realtors, 31% of all home buyers in 2014 were under the age of 33. These media savvy young people are well aware of what is in current catalogues, design magazines and HGTV episodes. So when we stage, we want to address what they will consider “move-in ready”.

Last week I attended the Real Estate Staging Association Conference and got the latest from HGTV’s Abby Vasek on what we are expecting to see for 2015 in home decor:

1) Traditional with contemporary. For example, a Lucite base on a brass lamp. Or chrome legs on a wood table.

2) Organic Materials: Petrified Rock, Crystals, Under the Sea items

3) Geometric Shapes are seen in furniture, fabrics, light fixtures and art

4) Beehive Shapes in tile, lighting

5) Concrete for table tops and counter tops

6) The hot metal is Rose Gold

Will I be lugging a concrete-topped table to stage a home? No. But knowing these trends will help me in selecting accessories and fixtures as we consider our staging plan.

For color, I was really excited to see Sherwin Williams select Coral Reef as their 2015 Color of the Year. Of course you probably wouldn’t want to paint your walls this color, but for accents it is the perfect color to bring warmth and energy to a room.

If you’re not moving, but would love to give a facelift to a room or two, look for these kinds of items at your favorite home décor store. Simple changes can often have a big impact on a room.

Betsy Ferguson Wilbur is the owner of Artisan Staged Homes. She provides home staging consultations and services for agents and their sellers throughout the La Crescenta/Pasadena area. She also provides Room Redesign consultations for homeowners wanting to update a room without a full scale remodel.

For more information about Artisan Staged Homes and Room Redesign, please visit the website at ArtisanStagedHomes.com or contact Betsy Ferguson Wilbur at 818-935-9424.